My Car is Having Tracking Problems

Driving a vehicle in traffic can be a stressful time, not only are there distractions and other drivers but if your vehicle is not driving straight it can be down right scary. Many people and mechanics will instantly blame the steering gearbox or steering rack but this may not always be the case.

If a vehicle is not driving straight when the steering wheel is at center there can be a huge number of reasons. Not only can the steering be out of alignment but the whole vehicle may be as well. This can be caused by an impact on the road with debris or maybe  pot hole. Sometimes even after a repair or a modification the alignment may be off from where it should be.

The reason that a vehicle will track incorrectly is because all 4 tires are no longer facing the same direction as they did originally. This can cause the vehicle to pull when driving or it can even cause a condition known as "catapillaring" which is when the direction of travel is not quite the same as the angel of the vehicle. There are some simple fixes for this condition but sometimes it is not so easy. If the issue was caused by a simple alignment issue it will take a mechanic about an hour to fix it. If there is something more than car may need some serious work to get back to proper operation.

The Small Customer Car Craze Started a Long Time Ago

Throughout the ages man has strived to define himself as an individual. Cave drawings, elaborate hair styles, huge watches there are all a way to say “look at me” in new and unique ways.  Car trends through the years have changed but the feel is the same it’s all about making something truly unique and truly yours. This is not just about putting some fancy parts or changing out the steering racks and power steering pump when there is a recall. Customer cars are all about what the owners want and how the car makes them feel. The same idea of making your loin cloth out of some dangerous animal can be applied to the car scene. Something that took a long time to build or is unique will always stand out in a crowd.

It is a little known truth that the Japanese and euro tuning market has been alive and well long before the Honda crazy hit the US. In the US the car market was dominated by large American cars for a long period of time and anyone running a small engine was considered to be a bit limp wristed in what they drove. There was no way that a car with a 4 cylinder could be a performance car in any way. In Europe on the other hand the trend was already in full swing with tuning houses and private individuals dropping some serious coin to make their rides unique and much faster.

The trend of going wider and making the cars “footprint” larger has been a tried and true practice for years. These pics are just a few of the examples of the crazy ideas that people had in the 80s and 90s before the small car crazy hit here. There are so many examples of what the gear heads of the past had in mind and what lead to the looks of modern cars. As a car guy it is obvious to me and probably to you that styles created by custom cars is always a big influence in the car of the future.